single mom moving to oregon "BLIND" (Portland: daycare, unemployment rate)

[Leisesturm]

So... I read the o.p. and the followups... I must be weird or something because what jumps out at me is... "why Oregon"? Too many of us obsess about jobs. No, really, you are setting an awfully low bar for the o.p.'s future happiness if the only thing you think is important is whether she finds work or not. A job is like water or food, you have to have one or you can't make it... so its kind of like a given. Wherever you choose to live. North Dakota is about the only place where the economy is booming and jobs are easier to find than elsewhere, but only if you are in the oil business (or adult entertainment). There's got to be more to making a relocation choice than the presence or lack of jobs.If that really is the case the o.p. should simply remain where she is, since (presumably) she has a job there and does not have one in Oregon.

From her accent I would guess the o.p. hails from the Dallas/Fort Worth metro complex. Given that, I can think of a ton of places with much better weather and economic opportunities than Portland for her to consider. "So, H", I hear you ask, "why aren't you in one of those hot spots?" The answer is, because Portland has intrinsics that make it the best place for me, in spite of its drawbacks. For the o.p., not so much, How can I possibly know that, you ask. I can't give you a satisfactory answer but basically, I am really that good. So here goes: .Raleigh-Durham, NC; Asheville, NC; anywhere in eastern VA; Boulder, CO if you can't abide the east coast... that's just a start. I've got more cities if anyone needs more suggestions. This is the Oregon forum but IMO Oregon = Portland and Portland = not for everybody. If you have the right stuff to want to call PDX home you don't have to ask. I'm only half joking.

H

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

So... I read the o.p. and the followups... I must be weird or something because what jumps out at me is... "why Oregon"? Too many of us obsess about jobs. No, really, you are setting an awfully low bar for the o.p.'s future happiness if the only thing you think is important is whether she finds work or not. A job is like water or food, you have to have one or you can't make it... so its kind of like a given. Wherever you choose to live. North Dakota is about the only place where the economy is booming and jobs are easier to find than elsewhere, but only if you are in the oil business (or adult entertainment). There's got to be more to making a relocation choice than the presence or lack of jobs.If that really is the case the o.p. should simply remain where she is, since (presumably) she has a job there and does not have one in Oregon.

From her accent I would guess the o.p. hails from the Dallas/Fort Worth metro complex. Given that, I can think of a ton of places with much better weather and economic opportunities than Portland for her to consider. "So, H", I hear you ask, "why aren't you in one of those hot spots?" The answer is, because Portland has intrinsics that make it the best place for me, in spite of its drawbacks. For the o.p., not so much, How can I possibly know that, you ask. I can't give you a satisfactory answer but basically, I am really that good. So here goes: .Raleigh-Durham, NC; Asheville, NC; anywhere in eastern VA; Boulder, CO if you can't abide the east coast... that's just a start. I've got more cities if anyone needs more suggestions. This is the Oregon forum but IMO Oregon = Portland and Portland = not for everybody. If you have the right stuff to want to call PDX home you don't have to ask. I'm only half joking.

H

Well she asked about job opportunities in Oregon. So I figured she wanted to know about the job situation here.

[gypsydoc]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

So... I read the o.p. and the followups... I must be weird or something because what jumps out at me is... "why Oregon"? Too many of us obsess about jobs. No, really, you are setting an awfully low bar for the o.p.'s future happiness if the only thing you think is important is whether she finds work or not. A job is like water or food, you have to have one or you can't make it... so its kind of like a given. Wherever you choose to live. North Dakota is about the only place where the economy is booming and jobs are easier to find than elsewhere, but only if you are in the oil business (or adult entertainment). There's got to be more to making a relocation choice than the presence or lack of jobs.If that really is the case the o.p. should simply remain where she is, since (presumably) she has a job there and does not have one in Oregon.

From her accent I would guess the o.p. hails from the Dallas/Fort Worth metro complex. Given that, I can think of a ton of places with much better weather and economic opportunities than Portland for her to consider. "So, H", I hear you ask, "why aren't you in one of those hot spots?" The answer is, because Portland has intrinsics that make it the best place for me, in spite of its drawbacks. For the o.p., not so much, How can I possibly know that, you ask. I can't give you a satisfactory answer but basically, I am really that good. So here goes: .Raleigh-Durham, NC; Asheville, NC; anywhere in eastern VA; Boulder, CO if you can't abide the east coast... that's just a start. I've got more cities if anyone needs more suggestions. This is the Oregon forum but IMO Oregon = Portland and Portland = not for everybody. If you have the right stuff to want to call PDX home you don't have to ask. I'm only half joking.

H

She has a 2 year old child to support. She asked about Oregon, not NC or other kinda sorta substitute states for her original question. Second guessing OPs in any thread is exhausting. I trust that they know what answers they are looking for.

The beauty of Oregon or whatever reason(s) she wants to move here are not really clear, only that she wants to come and that she's been saving for some time. Fitting her skills to being able to support herself and her child in an environment that works for HER seems to be the only criteria here.. not trying to steer her elsewhere if she's already committed.

Yeah, I seem to be speaking for her as well, but took my info directly from what she said.

[Leisesturm]

Sorry... I didn't mean to sound critical of the advice given in the follow-ups. I actually was having an illegal amount of fun in writing mine. I mean... there is no earthly way I could know any of the stuff I was saying about the o.p. and I don't. That said, I do think we should function as a sort of reality check for those who ask for specific info. When someone from Dallas, TX wants info on the job market in Oregon, I want to ask them "why Oregon"? I guess that's why I am not in sales.

H

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

Sorry... I didn't mean to sound critical of the advice given in the follow-ups. I actually was having an illegal amount of fun in writing mine. I mean... there is no earthly way I could know any of the stuff I was saying about the o.p. and I don't. That said, I do think we should function as a sort of reality check for those who ask for specific info. When someone from Dallas, TX wants info on the job market in Oregon, I want to ask them "why Oregon"? I guess that's why I am not in sales.

H

I agree with you about the "Why Oregon" thing. Not in regard to the OP but often when people talk about wanting to move here but don't say why, I always wonder too.

It's not in a critical way. I am just curious.

[TurlsMyLuv]

I am not suggesting anything but just curious as to why your moving to Oregon? I am also moving to Oregon with my little one in a few years. My reason is that 1 it's a beautiful place that I'd like to raise my daughter and 2 to have a chance at being happy. I don't have much family and the father is one extreme to the next(not good for the little one). I don't know why I'd ask this but maybe hoping to help my decision on being able to move. It would be nice to hear your reasoning

[Leisesturm]

I'm guessing that you did not mean to use the sarcastic smiley... I have to ask... if it is important that you leave where you are for your daughter and for you happiness, why "in a few years"? If you can't swing it now it doesn't really matter what happens "then". Now is what you have. Live it. We made out decision to leave and did it in a year. If we couldn't for whatever reason consider leaving for a longer time than that then it would quite likely mean that leaving would never be possible. And that is certainly possible. Some things are just not meant to be. Portland is a beautiful place but really its just another place. There are thousands of places as pretty with people just as nice (nicer even) and some have a lower cost of living or better weather. Portland has a thriving bicycle culture, a model mass transit system, mild wet winters and beer. Any of those things float your boat. Really float it right off its moorings and flip it upside down? If no, there is likely a place much closer to where you call home that can work. Better to move to somewhere that you can actually get to because its a practical distance away than somewhere impossibly far away that you have to save for years to reach. Trust me, if you don't have those savings now you aren't going to have them in "a few years". You now have a child and she is going to take all the savings you have to take care of.

H

[lotr1967]

I'm just going to throw in some things from a single Mom's perspective. It's my story but it's also a lot of single parent's stories as well (we're not all government freeloaders raising criminals, lol!). Maybe it will help you to see her side a little more clearly. I am a single Mom to an almost 19 year old. He started college at 17 in Washington state, very intelligent young man. My son became very ill at the age of 11 and we spent several years moving from state to state, hospital to hospital, with barely anything in savings each time. It was very frightening. Seattle Children's Hospital was the best and (long story short) the PNW was where we had the most friends and peace. Being a single parent is difficult but there is always this desire to find peace in the midst of the chaos. I wish the PNW would have been the first place we were sent to during his hospital visits. Now granted, we were in Renton, WA and it wasn't my favorite but outside of Renton we found Heaven in the mountains and ocean. Had I been able to raise him the entire time in the PNW, he would have been raised in the most amazing place in the US. Not only was he healed there, but there was a lot of other healing as well. It was pure bliss. Sadly, we had to move back to the Midwest a little over a year ago because my Grandmother (who raised me) was dying. It has been the most horrible year for us ever. Both of our health has been compromised, I have worked from 80-100 hours per week at times since we moved here. I had back to back pneumonia and the stomach flu and only missed a half of a day of work the entire year. He is having issues again, not severe, not needing a hospital or surgery again, but we need to be back again asap. I have Sunday's off and that is it and my employer wouldn't allow time off for me to see my Grandmother before she passed. The move was, essentially, all in vain. I missed her funeral as well. I am heartbroken. We left the place we love and never even had the opportunity to see the woman who raised me before she died. I don't mind working, but being here is breaking my body and spirit. There is a drive in the Midwest that is different than the drive in the PNW. I'm not certain why? People here are angry and pissed off all of the time it seems. Yelling, cursing, then throwing Bible scriptures at you when you don't do what they think is right. It's the oddest thing to me. But, the majority of the US seems to share the massive drive to work work work and never experience living with the exception of the PNW. I want to live to be old and be healthy again. I want my son to find health again. And we want peace again. There is no peace here. So, we are moving back. No job yet, I say yet, I'll work two or three if I have to, I did it here. It's all good. At least I will be surrounded by good people there, you are all wonderful people.

I know there is a difference between a 2 year old and a 19 year old. However, we started the moving when he was 11 and chronically ill and we survived. I have had several jobs, which stinks, I do have a college degree which helps somewhat, I think. Maybe? I'm not certain. I've never quit a job or been fired. I am a loyalist to a fault sometimes. However, the economy has caused me to go through a few layoffs. I'm not spending my life trying to find a man to take care of me and I'm also not a welfare Mom. Single parents who don't find their soul purpose in having a spouse to lean on but learn to survive for the sake of their children generally do very well. If she can find that peace in the midst of the chaos of being a single parent in Oregon, I say by all means, she should go for it. That's just my opinion, but from what I have read, it sounds like she is going about it the right way, savings, job hunting, etc. The economy will rebound. If you study historical trends you will see that things will improve. I'm just happy to be going home again and I truly hope she can find the same peace we found there. I wish her the very best in all she does.

[TurlsMyLuv]

I think these last replys were for me. I just want to say thank u. It really helps to hear these things. My heart is set on Oregon, but moving right now wouldn't be a good idea. There are things that need to be done. I have to follow my plan. If I'm going to do this for my daughter, I want to make sure things are done right. No worries.
Thank You
I think that the sarcastic smile looks more like a dreamy face.

[Griffis]

I'm curious to know where the OP currently lives...